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Balbair 12

December 16, 2023 Scotland

Name: Balbair 12

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Malt, honey, lemons, flowers, light oak

Taste: Malt, honey, white fruits, cream/sweet finish

9 Days left before Christmas! Do you have all your bottles yet?!?

Balbair is a Highland whisky from Edderton, Ross-shire, Scotland. The distillery was founded in 1790 and has grown and changed ownership over the years. It is currently owned by Inver House Distillers who also owns Speyburn-Glenlivet, Knockdhu, Old Pulteney, and Balmenach.

The Balair 12 is aged in ex-bourbon and double fired American oak casks and is bottled at 46% abv. I picked this sample up in Edinburgh on my last visit as a random whisky to sample. I was not familiar with this whisky and I have not seen in previously it in the bars or stores in the NYC area. It has a light sweet nose and the taste almost matches the nose which is never a good sign from experience. I also found it too sweet and overall a bit flat tasting. It was not bad, it just was not that impressive.

Other expressions: 9, 10, 12, 15, 18, 40, Equinox & Solstice, Elements, and Explorations. Various years have associated cask numbers or names depending on the year released.

Priced around $50+ and not my preferred flavor profile but I will try more expressions if I find them.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

GlenAllachie 12

December 15, 2023 Scotland

Name: GlenAllachie 12

Color: Dark Brown

Nose: Malt, caramel, oak, heather, sherry/honey

Taste: Malt, sweet caramel, oak, white fruit

10 Days left before Christmas! Do you have all your bottles yet?!?

GlenAllachie 12 is a Speyside whisky that was found in 1967 and has change ownership over the years. The distillery was closed for a few years until it was re-opened by a group of private investors.

GlenAllachie 12 is bottled at 46% abv and is non-chilled filtered. From my research it appears to be aged in Virgin Oak, PX Sherry casks, and Oloroso sherry casks.It has a nice taste and balance and reminded me of Edradour 10. It is easy to drink and not too hot for the proof level, but a little sweet on the finish for my taste.

I do not think I have every seen this whisky on the shelves in the NYC area. I get the feeling that is a sourced whisky as they may be building up their reserves. When I was in Edinburgh last Spring, I picked up several nips of whisky’s from Whisky’s of the World and this was one among them. I like to gamble on the smaller bottles when I am not sure and it worked out for most of this year’s reviews.

GlenAllachie other expressions are a surprising a long list. By category they have the following: Anniversary Series, Core Range, Single Casks, Virgin Oak Series, Wine Cask Series, Wood Finish Range, Macnair’s, and White Heather. Click here for the complete list – The GlenAllachie Distillery.

Priced around $65 and worth a try if you like the profile. I look forward to try more expressions if I can find them.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Tomatin 18

December 14, 2023 Scotland

Name: Tomatin 18

Color: Brown

Nose: Malt, vanilla, caramel, cedar wood, white fruits

Taste: Malt, vanilla, caramel wood, white fruits, sweet finish

The Christmas countdown has begun! Do you have all your bottles ready!?!

Tomatin distillery is located in the Village to Tomatin which is South of Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland. The distillery was founded in the 16^th century for local purchases of jugs for farmers and then was later fully established as Tomatin in 1897.

The Tomatin 18 has nice nose with a hint of dry cedar wood. It has smooth malt taste with sherry sweet finish and is well balanced. I did find the caramel a little thick on the tongue, but it was not a deal breaker. This expression could be enjoyed as a winter or a summer whisky. I find the Tomatin 12 to be a summer drinker.

I enjoy sampling Tomatin, but I am not yet fully convinced it is worth the money for the older expressions. I will need to try more in the future.

Priced around $125-$150 and overpriced for the flavor profile.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Tamdhu 12

December 5, 2023 Scotland

Name: Tamdhu 12

Color: Copper

Nose: Malt, honey, heather, oak, sherry

Taste: Malt, honey, vanilla, sherry sweet finish

The Christmas countdown has begun! Do you have all your bottles ready!?!

The Tamdhu Distillery was founded in 1896 and located in the village of Knockando in Banffshire, Scotland. Tamdhu was/is mainly used for the production of popular blended whisky’s such as The Famous Grouse, J&B, and Cutty Sark. Currently the ownership of Ian McLeod Distilleries is producing it as a single malt expression. The name “Tamdhu” in Gaelic and translates to “little dark hill”.

Tamdhu 12 is Speyside single malt bottle at 43% abv. It is a lighter tasting whisky which is more on the sweeter side due the sherry cask finish. It has a nice balance and at first taste I would have guessed it to be a Lowlander instead of a Speyside. It is smooth drinker and comes off as more of a summer than a winter scotch. I believe I had tried this whisky once before in The Potstill Bar in Glasgow and from my hazy memory I enjoyed it so picked up a bottle to reconfirm my experience. It’s a little sweet for me, but very solid dram.

Expressions currently offered: NAS, 8,10,12,18,50, Batch Strength No. 001 & 2, Limited Edition, 1990 Cask Strength, and Signatory Vintage 1994.

Priced around $65-75 and worth the price if you like the flavor profile. I will be trying more expressions hopefully this month when I am in Scotland, which is tonight!

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

The Macallan 12

November 23, 2023 Scotland

Name: The Macallan 12

Color: Light brown

Nose: Light oak and sherry

Taste: Medium bodied, sherry, orange citrus, sweet oak finish

As you can see from the picture, my former coworker is a very patient man. They say, “some things are worth waiting for”, personally, I had a bigger glass at my desk.

Macallan 12 is a very good and well-marketed brand of Scotch whisky. It is lighter in body and flavor which is easier to drink but a bad idea in a cocktail as the flavor will be lost among the mixers. If you would like to “up your Scotch game” or need arrive somewhere with a nicer bottle in your hand, Macallan 12 would be an excellent choice.

I always recommend Macallan 12 as an introduction Scotch for non-whisky drinkers due to the lighter flavor and balanced taste. The vast amount of whisky from Scotland can overwhelm you and you would not want to start out too strong or too complex in flavor such as Laphroaig or Dalmore.

Macallan 12 will be easier and more enjoyable on your palate as opposed to full-bodied whiskeys with ice or water.

Priced around $65+ and worth the money.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

The Balvenie Caribbean Cask

November 9, 2023 Scotland

Name: The Balvenie Caribbean Cask

Color: Yellow

Nose: Malt, sugar cane, vanilla, light wood

Taste: Malt, tropical fruit, cream vanilla, honey, flowers

The Balvenie Distillery is located in Dufftown, Scotland which is the Speyside region. It was founded in 1886 by William Grant & Sons and I have not yet had a bad experience with their whisky but get what you pay for in life and with their expressions.

The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14-Year-Old is bottled at 43% abv, aged in 14 years in oak barrels, and finished in rum cask from the West Indies. It is a medium body whisky with a good balance of malt and rum and a light oak finish. The color looks natural, but I could not confirm. It is very easy to drink on ice or neat. I think a slightly higher in abv would be better as the flavor profile would last longer when enjoyed on the rocks.

I purchased this expression last summer when I had to travel to Florida due to my Mum passing in July of 2021. She had been suffering for a long time and I was glad she was finally at peace. My Mum was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland and she taught me many things. One thing she taught me even before I was into whisky was, “There is slipping whisky and then there is slugging whisky.” I was slugged a few glasses of this sipping whisky.

Priced around $90+ and worth the money to enjoy in warm weather or to raise a glass to your Mum.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Lagavulin 16

October 26, 2023 Scotland

Name: Lagavulin 16

Color: Caramel Brown

Nose: Smoke, peat and brine

Taste: Smoke, peat, orange iodine, smooth seaweed brine notes

Originating from the region of Islay in the Highlands of Scotland this single malt 16 year old whisky is in the realm of “Laphroaig” but has been smoothed out very nicely and finishes easy while still being a “big boy” Scotch. Do not misunderstand me, this is still a full-bodied peat smoke styled Islay Scotch but it is softer than others I have tried while maintaining its character. Most will still find it to be an acquired taste.

When you compare it to Laphroaig 10 you are getting 6 more years in the barrel and a much smoother finish so it’s going to cost you more but I feel it is worth it. You may also recognize this whisky if you watch “Ray Donavan” on Showtime as this is the one he seems drinks the most next to Blue Label. (Note: He is all over the map in what he drinks)

Priced between $80-90 it is a good value for those who love Islay whisky or are entering the heavier bodied smoke peat flavor spectrum.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Ardbeg 10

September 14, 2023 Scotland

Name: Ardbeg 10

Color: Light Yellow

Nose: Peat, coal, smoke

Taste: Smokey peat, spices

Ardbeg 10 is a Highland scotch from the Islay region in Scotland that I like to put into a category I call “Big Boy Scotch”. Ardbeg is considered by some people in the whisky world to be the peatiest of all the scotches. I can think of a few other scotches out there that can compete for that title but with heavily peated scotch is truly a matter of individual taste. The name “Ardbeg” is Scottish Gaelic for a “small promontory”. A promontory is defined as “a point of high land that juts out into a large body of water”. See map below.

As I have mentioned in previous reviews, I like to start my tasting experiences with 10 to 12-year-old scotches so I can get a feel for the baseline flavor profile. Plus, and this is an important point since I self-fund this operation, they more affordable! Some people just like to jump to the much older and aged scotches. I never found this helpful in the learning process of tasting. It is hard to graduate upwards and gain appreciation for what you are drinking if you start with the best first. Also, many people are uneducated shits that want to look cool in the company of others. When it comes to heavily peated scotches I do not see the need to go to the oldest or most expensive bottle you are learning or developing a taste for peated whisky.

Ardbeg produces other expressions that range in price and quality. These expressions are, but not limited to the following; An Oa, Blasda, Corryvreckan, Supernova, Uigeadail, Rollercoaster, Alligator, Ardbeg Day, Kelpie, and Grooves. Some of the prices of these are very high and I look forward to the Rabbie Burns Tasting in 2019 to sample some of these expressions.

Price around $55 and a very good scotch if you like peated whisky. It is also a great scotch to warm you in cold winter weather.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Hendrick’s Gin

September 7, 2023 Scotland

Name: Hendrick’s Gin

Color: Clear

Nose: Juniper, cucumber, flowers

Taste: Juniper, cucumber, rose flowers, fresh tasting finish

Hendrick’s Gin is known as the “Cucumber Gin” and is manufactured by William Grant & Sons at the Girvan Distillery in Scotland. It was released in 1999 and is bottled at 44% abv. The are 11 botanicals in the gin; chamomile, elderflower, juniper, lemon peel, orange peel, caraway, coriander, cubeb berries, angelica root, yarrow root, and orris root. After the gin is distilled it is then infused with rose and cucumber. The taste is very different than the usual suspects like Bombay or Tanqueray.

I have only enjoyed this gin in two ways. In a martini or with tonic water. Below are my thoughts base on the photo in the review.

Regular Tonic: Clean and smooth tasting. Lighter than cheaper tonics.
Cucumber Tonic: Fresh tasting with medium strong cucumber flavors. Lighter than the regular tonic water.
Hendricks & Tonic w/ lime wedge: Gross. Lime does not mix well with the gin flavors.
Hendricks & Regular Tonic w/ cucumber slice: Fresh and clean nose, very light and summery. The quinine seems to overpower the finish. Tastes good.
Hendricks & Cucumber Tonic w/ cucumber slice: Very cucumber nose and taste. Not much quinine taste, little too syrupy for me but not bad. Tastes good, but very strong cucumber taste.
Martini Up w/ cucumber slice: Light and refreshing with clean cucumber taste. Easy to drink but comes off as a one and done cocktail. Not a repeat drink like a Bombay Sapphire.

Other expressions: Obrium, Midsummer Solstice, Absinthe, Amazonia, Lunar, and Neptunia.

Priced around $50 and worth the money if you like the cucumber taste or to experiment in summer cocktails.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Glenfarclas 12

August 17, 2023 Scotland

Name: Glenfarclas 12

Color: Light Yellow

Nose: Malt, lemons, flowers, light wood

Taste: Malt, light smoke/oak, sherry, fresh citrus

Glenfarclas 12 is a Speyside Scotch from Ballindalloch, Scotland. The distillery was founded in the 1790’s and is now owned by the Grant Family. The name translates to “valley of the green grass”. There is a wide range of expressions and ages along with varying levels of reserves from the distillery. The older scotch that is released is known as “Family Casks” which is a collection of 43 single cask bottles from the 1950’s to early 2000’s. I have not seen that collection on the shelves but I bet that collection is not cheap. Next time I am in London I will see if Harrod’s sells the complete package.

Other expressions that you can find in the market for regular people: 8,10,12,15,17,18 (travel retail), 21, 25, 30, 40, 60, 105 (cask).

I have seen the 105 and the 15, 30 in a couple of stores, but not the rest of the years. I have sampled the 25-year-old, but it was about four years ago in Munich, Germany at 3am. So I do not really remember if it was good, but I think was good. I have learned since then not to drink good scotch late at night or that early in the morning.

The 12-year-old is a good baseline and worth the money. I do not see many people drinking, buying, or ordering Glenfarclas. I am not sure why that is, but it is worth trying to see if you like it.

Priced around $60 and worth the money.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Balbair 12

GlenAllachie 12

Tomatin 18

Tamdhu 12

The Macallan 12

The Balvenie Caribbean Cask

Lagavulin 16

Ardbeg 10

Hendrick’s Gin

Glenfarclas 12

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